Friday, September 12, 2008

Green Party Staffer Apologizes To Blogger

From: John Bennett To: leftdog@hushmail.comDate: Fri, 12 Sep 2008 13:58:55 -0600 I apologize for my hasty email yesterday. My actions came out of aconcern to ensure that internet content is an honest and realrepresentation of facts and I look forward to future positivedialogue with you and other bloggers.

In the TVO clip, Elizabeth May clearly says "they" think Canadiansare stupid, referring to the opinions of some politicians. She thenturns to the questioner and agrees with HIS assessment that a carbontax is essential. No spin can change that.

I have included a video clip and quote from Elizabeth May thatindicate her clear respect for the intelligence of Canadians.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wIWFDsmmfz4

"It needs to be explained, but I think Canadians are smart enough tounderstand the idea that we need to ensure that we reduce our use offossil fuels, that the climate crisis is upon us, and this is not theonly thing we need to do, but it is the foundation for a successfulclimate policy," Elizabeth May said. CTV's Question Period onSunday, May 25, 2008.

Sincerely,

John Bennett

-----------------------(To which I replied) ----------------

Mr. Bennett;A Canadian federal election is a mutually agreed and defined periodof time where an unfettered free forum of opinion and debate shouldensue. The debate will inevitably contain both bold statements ofvision as well as blind narrow partisan rhetoric. It will be fullof humour and conflict and is intended to attract the citizens ofthe nation to cast their votes a particular way.

New to the debate is the ability of individual citizens to climbonto a modern day soap box - known as a ‘Blog’. The collectivecommunity of individual blogs is called the ‘blogosphere’ and it isa virile and potent force. You have witnessed the potency of thiscommunity over the last two days.

Those who do not recognize the power of the blogosphere nor evenone sole member of it, do so at their own peril. The blogosphere isdynamic and it is unpredictable. It is well suited to facilitatethis unfettered free forum of opinion and debate.

Using your position with a national political party to silence myvoice by threatening me with legal action was both offensive to meand an extremely unfair use of your voice in the election campaign.

I will accept your apology and urge you and others to respect thepotency and validity of the blogosphere in your future dealings.

I'm glad you got that apology and your response is on target. I wish the apology could have come sooner and I pushed hard to get it to you sooner. Our party is not big and doesn't have the number of paid staff. An obviously frazzled staffer took a fair bit of undeserved heat from ol' JB today and I've had to make some apologies for pushing as impatiently as I did.

You're absolutely right. Many people are just starting to realize the power and freedom of the blogs. Hopefully, most of the lessons will be less painful than this one was.

Now, are you going to go back to focusing on the Con's like Jack said? The last few days have been all Green, all the time, here in the dog park.

Congrats Buckdog. Like Jim Bobby said, lets focus on Harper. Funny, about that, and I can't help myself saying it, but when the focus of May not being in the debate was put upon Layton, and not Harper, or Duceppe, or for that Dion, who said if he's not in, nor am I, it's hard to swallow the "let's focus on Harper." I will take JB at his word. Thank you for going to bat for buckdog.

The other two posters above, who just seemed like they couldn't say, good show, well, they can't hold a candle to JB.

. . . . . It is unclear if she is agreeing with the assessment that Canadians are stupid, or with the assessment of the questioner from the audience, who says there is no political will for a carbon tax. To be fair to May, she clearly does agree with the latter assessment. The question is whether or not she also agrees with the former.

I think the Kady O'Malley post you link to at the bottom of your post is right on the money. The Greens' communications chief behaved poorly, and made his party (briefly, at least) look no better than the Harper Conservatives.

Excellent leftdog!! They should have YOU writing for them since their PR person has difficulties with grammar.

If I may tack on some additional advice for the Green Party...

1. Please advise May to stop racetalking.

2. Please advise May to THINK before she SPEAKS.

3. Please advise May on how political discourse works. You listen, you stop to think, you address ONE PERSON AT A TIME.

She got into this mess for two different sentences in her answer. The first was hard to catch (I or they) the second confusing to follow. It did sound like she was agreeing with the assessment that Canadians are stupid. She needs to learn - desperately and quickly - to pay attention to the fact that her words are being listened to carefully and recorded.

Noname - Apology or not,Bennett acted like, and continues to be an idiot. I do not believe that Green bloggers nor Green Party members are well served by someone who is so completely clued out about the reality of communications and the blogosphere in the 21st century!

But I will leave it to the Greens to deal with such inept and incompetent staff persons.

I have noticed something very telling in all of this. Even though most of them disagree would with you on just about everything political, you received a lot of support from the right side of the political spectrum. Just something to think about.

Dave F. The Rightosphere jumped on this simply because of the 'free speech' element. Surely you are familiar with the many posts on HRC challenges. When the Green's stupidly threatened me with legal action and I fought back, the Right responded because they see it as a key issue for where they are.

Leftdog you took my last comment the wrong way. Obviously a lawsuit is damaging (financially, stress, etc.), and that was what would have been damaging to you had you not had support to get the matter dropped by the aggressor.

I think it's great to see bloggers across the political spectrum support you. If something like this should happen to any other bloggers in the future, I will give them my support no matter if they support the Conservatives, Liberals, NDP, Greens, and even the Bloc.

"The Rightosphere jumped on this simply because of the 'free speech' element. Surely you are familiar with the many posts on HRC challenges. When the Green's stupidly threatened me with legal action and I fought back, the Right responded because they see it as a key issue for where they are."

Dead right. And if you post something true that the CPC or the Libs or the NDP sends you that sort of BS notice on I - and I suspect "we" - will have your back.

Free speech is just that. And it's important and even lefties have a Charter Right to it.

Left - Right - Centre ... Green - Lib - Tory - Rhino - NDP ... the rules of the political game have changed with the advent of the Blogs. Those who do not recognize that from any point in the political spectrum will soon find that out to their own peril.

I am quite proud of the fact that Green bloggers challenged their own Party for threatening me. Bloggers like Saskboy actually phone, emailed and hounded them. I have had Libloggers go after the threats and I am also happy that a number of conservative bloggers didi the same thing. I actually feel kind of proud of the fact that this mobilization happened ... because it reaffirms what I believe is the best part of the blogosphere. We know what we have here and we are not going to go away!